Anatomy of a Bead

I read somewhere that no matter how big you make your cane, it’s never big enough!

I designed this cane inspired by a William Morris textile last year and finally had to create another one. I took some photos and thought I’d share the process with you. Here is the cane in the beginning, a handful at 3″ wide and 5″ long. I do believe this is the largest cane I’ve created. Usually I work with smaller canes, but as my business has grown so has the size of my canes!

After it’s worked and stretched out a bit, I use my acrylic rod to start shaping it into a square log. I turn it a 1/4 turn after a few passes with the rod until it starts to shrink.

Here you can see it’s 2 feet long! Now it was time to cut it in half and reduce part of the cane to the next size.

Still using the rod, I have the cane reduced and in two sizes. I cut it up into smaller chunks and wrap them in wax paper. They are then stored until I need them.

Here is a collection of beads made using the cane.

And in case you are wondering, I sketch out my canes before I make them, breaking them down into what shape is needed for a design. I write any notes that I might need to recreate a design in the future. I also like to keep the last slice of a cane, baked and saved in a little collection for prosperity.